Lock and indicator for holding and locating keys, tools, and other portable articles



July 13 1926.

LOCK AND INDI E. A. FALCONER CATOR FOR H0 LDING AND LOCATING KEYS, TOOLS, AND

OTHER PORTABLE ARTICLES Filed March l2, 1925 2. Sheets-Sheet l Flai/.

Afmayv July 13 1926. 1,592,482

E. A. FALCONER LOCK AND INDICATOR FOR HOLDING AND LOCATING KEYS, TOOLS, AND

OTHER PORTABLE ARTICLES Filed March 12, 1925 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5MM-afa Anw'ngc Patented July 13, 1926-.

UNITED'STATES Y' g A11,592,482v l PAT ENT A oFFlcE;

EDWARD ALARIO FALOONER, or MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND.

LOOK AND INDICATOR FOR HOLDING' AND LocA'rrNe KEYS, TOOLS, lAND OTHER PORTABLEARTIOLDS. 1

Application med March 12, 1925 seria; Noylaose, ana'in Great Britain March 12., 1924.

Vhere a key,lspeeial tool or otherarticle is kept in a special place for the common use of ai number of persons, for example, in an office, store, Warehouse,- Workshop, fac- 5 tory, hotel or other place, it frequently happensrthat much time is lost in searching for sucli'key or article When'the same is not in its usual place, as there is no means of indicating by Whom it Was last removed.

-In the specification of a prior Patent No.

1,472,297', .dated Oct. 30,1923, a device was described which had for its object to provide a lock andiindicator for locking articles as describedV in such a manner that they indication showing Which of the persons having access thereto had removed themk and -such devicecomprised alock or holding v.device called locator provided vvithV a retaining catch or catches andra key or plug which Was adapted to Vbe heldin the locator by? the aforesaid catch or catches and only capable of being released by the insertion of a particular token ory indicator, which after releasing the key for plug and permitting its Withdrawal remained in the locator until the'ke rwas airain inserted.

The locator key or plug had Secured `to it thel article to be located,-for example, a key, bunch of keys, special toolV or some other article and each person entitled to use the said article Was yprovided with a token or indicator bearing a number or some other means ofv identification, 'so lthat the article removed could be at once traced by looking at the token or indicator left in the locator, which token or'indicator Was expose through `a suitable aperture. f

the device to be more readily assembled duri ing the manufacture 'and at vthe same time to increase itseicency and security.

lNOW ac'cordingto the present` invention the casing or cover of the locator y-isformed with an opening in the front for the insertion of the locatorkeyor plug to which the article yto be locatedy isfattached,-and the could not` be taken away leaving behind an f he object of the present inventionis to urpose, of

token or indicator employed to release the key or plug, instead of passing through the locator as vheretofore is inserted and re-v kmoved through one and the same slotin thetop of the casing, meansY controlled by o0 the locator key or 'plug being provided to` lock the token or yindicator in the casing -While the plug or key is 'Withdrawnand yquentlyV to eject ythe token in an upward directonwhen same isreleased by the insertion of thekey'or plug in the locator casing. p jv f i The key or plug may be made of cylindrical lor any other suitable cross-section with or without vWards as required, and is` 75 provided With grooves and projections for i co-operating With the levers and locking mechanism as hereinafter described.

The inventionk is hereinafter described with reference to Vthe accompanying drawf ings in which z-f A .Y

Figs. 1 and 2 are front and side elevation respectively, of a` locator constructed according to this invention with the casing or cover removed,`rbut its position indicated by chain lines. y

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the locator with the casing or cover in position.

Fig; 4 is a planprojected from' Fig. l. VvFigs. 5 and 6 are detail views drawn at 90 right angles to one another, yshowing one form of the locator plug orkey.

Fig.` 7 is a perspective View on a smaller scale of a complete locator including a token or indicator and plug or key.

In thedrawings Figs. l, to 6 are drawn to an enlarged scale for clearness of illustration.V

- .As shown 1n the ydra-Wings a convenient construction of locator comprises a v stamped sheet metal base or backplate d adapted to be fixed' toa Wall or board in any convenient manner, and a casing or ycover b fixed to the back plate b integral tongues passed through slots in tf7 over` at right angles. The said casing or cover is provided at the top With a slot c for .the insertion ory removal of the tokenpor indicator l and in the front with a suitable opening e for the insertionof the plug or 110 ie plate and bent 195 l key f. An aperture g is also provided in the front of the casing for exposing the token or indicator after it has been inserted by the user, or a portion of the indicator may be arranged to project above the casing for exposing an identification number, or the like.

lVithin the casing and suitably attached to the base plate a by screws it screwing into distance stays is a carrier plate for the principal parts 'of the moving mechanism and said carrier plate is shaped to forni guides z' for the token or indicator cl as 1t is inserted through the slots c at the top of the casing A boss with guide aperture for the key or plug j" is also formed on thev plate j at right yangles to the token guide. The carrier plate j has mounted upon 1 t a pair of levers 7c With means such as projections 7s on the levers which extend through slots in the boss j2 into the path of the key or plug' and engage in a groove 7" in the said key or plug to retain the same in locator. In the upper ends of the levers f: pins Z are fixed which project through a horizontal slot 7" in the plate into the path of the indicator or token d and together with the levers 7s are forced towards each other by Wire springs m. The springs m and levers 7c are conveniently supported on the loiver distance stays as shown.

Upon the insertion of a token or indicator al into the locator the levers 7:: are operated to Withdraw the projections 7: from the f and release the key by the said token or indicator pressing against the pins on the upper ends of the levers le and forcing the levers apart in opposition to the action of two springs m.

When the levers 7s have been moved apart suiiiciently to release the plug or key f the token or indicator d is engaged by a spring actuated locking device for retaining the token or indicator in the locator. As shown the locking device consists of a U- shaped member n the arms of which are mounted to slide in openings in the plates a, j, and are arranged to engage the token or indicator and hold it in position after insertion against the action of the levers ZC. The arms ofthe U-shaped member n are guided by the openings in the carrier plate j in a position to engage the upper edge of the token or theyA may engage slots in another form of indicator after the said token or indicator has been inserted in the slot. A spring o located vertically behind the case or back plate a is suitably bent at its upper end for positive engagement with the U-shaped member n and tends to maintain the locking member n in the locking position until displaced by the insertion of the key. The displacement of the locking member n from the locking position is effected by an extension f2 on the end of the key which passes through an opening p in the plate a and forces back the spring o. The said locking device is itself prevented from operation by means of a gravity or spring controlled safety catch g until the plug or key has been re-inserted in order to prevent inisuse'by unauthorized persons.

As shown the safety catch Q engages over the lower edge of a slot in the spring o and holds the same against displacement until release by the part f3 of the plug acting on the projection g of the catch.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 the key or plug used with the above described construction of locator is cylindrical in crosssection but it may be of any other suitable cross-section and is provided with Wards as required. In the form of key shown in the drawings a groove f4 is made longitudinally in the key or plug for the passage of a Ward r in the key hole. It will also be seen that the position of the extension f2 and its aperture may be varied slightly tol act as a Ward. Means are provided for readily changing the Wards by forming the same for example on a removable disc or ring s of the required shape inserted in a recess s surrounding the key opening of the locator When such are desired, such change being useful for preventing the insertion of a key into the Wrong7 locator.

Wards or the like devices may also be provided on the token to prevent the use of a plain disc of metal or the insertion of a token into the Wrong locator.

The locators7 are supplied in single units or in multiples mounted on a suitable base, the multiple unit type being especially useful for keyboards.

The present system of locating keys on a board provided with hooks is most unsatisfactory, since there is no check on those who use them.

Now with a locator keyboard, each key is attached to its respective locator plug, and this locator plug Will only fit into its respective locator body, so that No. 1 key must always be returned to No. 1 locator, No. 2 to No. 2 and so on. It Will therefore be seen that with the locator keyboard any missing keys can at once be identified, and over and above that it tells Who removed them.

I claim- 1. A lock and indicator of the nature specified for holding and locating keys, tools and other portable articles and comprising a casing With apertures in the front and top for the insertion and Withdrawal of a key or plug and the insertion and ejection or'vvithdravval of a token or indicator respectively, and retaining mechanism in the casing co-operating With the key or plug and token or indicator in such manner that the insertion of the token or indicator effects the release of the key and retention of the token or indicator while the insertion of the key or plug eects the release of the token or indicator and retention of the key or plug, substantially as described.

2. A lock and indicator according to claim l, wherein the retaining and release mechanism for the key or plug and token or indicator comprises a pair of spring actuated levers arranged to engage with both the key or plug and the tokenor indicator,

and a spring actuated locking memberV adapted to retain the tokeny or indicator in the casing against the action of the levers when the key or plug is withdrawn substantially as described.

3. A lock and indicator or locator as set forth comprising a base or back plate with a casing or cover attached and formed with a key or plug aperture in front and an opening in the top for they token or indicator, a carrier plate enclosed in the casing fand supported on the back plate said carthereon pins` and projections in the paths of loot-h the key or plug and token or indicator, and means controlled by the key or plug for retaining the token or indicator in the casving against the action of the levers substantially as described.

In testimony whereof he has aiiiXed his signature.

EDWARD ALARIG FALooNER. 

